A catheter, shunt, drainage tube and the like, generally referred to herein as a catheter, can be used to obtain percutaneous access to a location within the body of a patient. In some instances, the catheter, such as a central venous catheter (CVC) or a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), may be tunneled under the skin between a skin exit site and a vessel entry site. Depending on the application, the catheter may be left in place for a short period of time, such as hours or days, and/or a longer period of time, such as more than a month. For example, a long term tunneled catheter may be used for drug administration, chemotherapy, blood transfusions, aspirations, and/or delivery of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), to name just a few non-limiting examples.
Some long-term tunneled catheters have a cuff that is meant to stabilize the catheter and avoid potentially life threatening infection. In many cases, the cuff is fixed at a predetermined position on the catheter shaft by the manufacturer. For example, the cuff may be glued to the catheter and/or retained in position by protrusions on the outer surface of the catheter. To obtain proper positioning of the catheter and the cuff, clinicians often cut off a portion of the catheter so that the length between the cuff and distal tip (i.e., the “cuff-to-tip length”) is appropriate for a specific patient's anatomy. Unfortunately, cutting the catheter in this way may remove a specialized tip, such as a specific material or shape. Alternatively or additionally, cutting the catheter may alter expected flow dynamics and/or result in edges that may injure the patient and/or lead to undesirable clotting. Additionally, the step of cutting the catheter adds time and effort to the placement of the long-term tunneled catheter. Thus, new catheter cuff arrangements and methods are desired.